Tennis: Djokovic routs Roddick in 54 minutes

WIMBLEDON, England - Even on a court where he has played some of the best tennis of his life, Andy Roddick knew there was only one way he could beat No. 2-seeded Novak Djokovic in their second-round match at the 2012 Olympics.

Especially on this rain-dampened Tuesday at the All England Club, where the reigning Australian Open and U.S. Open champion from Serbia was striking the ball as crisply and precisely as he has this year.

Instead, Djokovic treated the roof-covered Centre Court crowd to a clinic, ending the unseeded American's Summer Games with an efficient 6-2, 6-1 rout that lasted all of 54 minutes.

With the match tied at 2-2 in the first set, Djokovic broke Roddick's usually dependable serve and won 10 of the final 11 games to set up a third-round bout against Australia's Lleyton Hewitt.

"It was a perfect match in every sense," Djokovic said after frustrating Roddick with 14 aces and 34 winners while making only six unforced errors. "I served many aces, got a lot of free points on the first serve and made him play.

"That was the tactics."

Djokovic, though, did more than blast the ball past his overmatched opponent. He also mixed in a dazzling array of drop shots and lobs.

And when Roddick tried beating Djokovic at his own game, the 2008 bronze medalist had all the answers. He was simply too alert, to clever, too good.

"I tried to serve and volley a couple of times," said Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion and the last American man to win a grand slam singles title. "Some people say, 'Go forward,' but he's drilling every ball.

"So what do you approach on?"

Struggling with his serve, unable to stay with Djokovic at the baseline and getting passed or lobbed when he charged the net, there was nothing left for Roddick to do.

But shake hands.

"He was just in the zone," Roddick said. "The conditions were perfect. He was hitting it well. I mean, he just beat the crap out of me today."